Understanding Apex Domains (foodtruckgamers.com edition)

11/15/2025

TLDR: Apex domain = your domain without "www" (foodtruckgamers.com). Pick ONE version (apex OR www) as your "real" URL and redirect the other. This avoids duplicate content issues in Google. Cloudflare makes setup easy with CNAME flattening + page rules.

What is an apex domain?
Apex domain: foodtruckgamers.com
Subdomains: www.foodtruckgamers.com, blog.foodtruckgamers.com, api.foodtruckgamers.com

The apex = your domain without any prefix.

The three setups (and why you should pick one)
Same DNS for all three:

• A | @ | [Lovable's IP address] | DNS only (gray cloud)
• A | www | [Lovable's IP address] | Proxied or DNS only (either works)

Note: Lovable gives you an IP address (A record), not a CNAME.
The apex (@) must be DNS only for Lovable to verify your domain.
Check your Lovable dashboard for the exact IP to use.

The difference is what happens after:
Setup 1: Both work (no redirect) 🤨

• foodtruckgamers.com → works
• www.foodtruckgamers.com → works
• No page rule needed
• Problem: Google sees these as TWO different URLs with the same content = duplicate content (bad for SEO)
• Don't do this unless: You literally don't care about SEO

Setup 2: Force www (traditional) 😐

• foodtruckgamers.com → redirects to → www.foodtruckgamers.com
• Page rule: foodtruckgamers.com/* → https://www.foodtruckgamers.com/$1
• Why: Traditional, enterprise feel. Google only sees www.foodtruckgamers.com
• Best for: Established businesses

Setup 3: Force apex (modern) 😍

• www.foodtruckgamers.com → redirects to → foodtruckgamers.com
• Page rule: www.foodtruckgamers.com/* → https://foodtruckgamers.com/$1
• Why: Cleaner URLs, modern, easier to say. Google only sees foodtruckgamers.com
• Best for: Startups, modern brands

The key: Pick ONE version. That's your canonical URL (the "real" one Google indexes). Redirect the other.

Why duplicate URLs actually matter (it's worse than you think)
The SEO problem:

• Google indexes BOTH foodtruckgamers.com and www.foodtruckgamers.com as separate pages
• Your site's "authority" gets split between two URLs
• Google might rank the "wrong" version
• Your backlinks get diluted across both versions

The geolocation disaster: If your site has location data (address, phone, hours), duplicate URLs can create:

• Duplicate map listings on Google Maps and Bing Maps
• Multiple Google Business Profiles for the same location
• Split reviews across different listings
• Confused customers who can't find your "real" listing

Real-world example: You spend months getting 50 five-star reviews on your Google Business Profile linked to foodtruckgamers.com. Then Google creates a second listing for www.foodtruckgamers.com with 0 reviews. Now customers see the empty listing and think you're new/unreviewed.

The review investment problem:

• Reviews are expensive to earn (time, follow-ups, customer service)
• Duplicate listings split your reviews across multiple profiles
• Lower review count = lower trust = fewer customers
• Fixing duplicate listings is a PAIN (Google support, verification, merging)

Solution: Pick ONE canonical URL from the start.

Setting up foodtruckgamers.com on Lovable

1. Add domain to Cloudflare → point nameservers
2. Add DNS records (get IP from Lovable dashboard):
   • A | @ | [Lovable IP] | DNS only (gray cloud) ← IMPORTANT
   • A | www | [Lovable IP] | Proxied or DNS only
   • The apex MUST be DNS only for Lovable verification
3. Choose redirect strategy:
   • Want www? Page rule: foodtruckgamers.com/* → www.foodtruckgamers.com/$1
   • Want apex? Page rule: www.foodtruckgamers.com/* → foodtruckgamers.com/$1
   • Want both? Don't do this. Pick one.
4. Verify:
   • Visit both URLs
   • Check SSL (https://)
   • Confirm redirect works

Pro tips

1. SSL/HTTPS: Cloudflare handles automatically
2. Email: Set up MX records separately if using hello@foodtruckgamers.com
3. Subdomains: Use them for different purposes
   • foodtruckgamers.com - main site
   • blog.foodtruckgamers.com - blog
   • api.foodtruckgamers.com - API
4. Lovable requires DNS only: Unlike some hosts, Lovable needs the apex domain set to "DNS only" (gray cloud) not "Proxied" (orange cloud) for domain verification to work. The www subdomain can be either.

Common mistakes

1. Not picking a canonical version = Google indexes both = duplicate content = bad SEO
2. Forgetting to set up both DNS records = one version breaks
3. Forgetting to enable "Proxied" on both records = miss out on Cloudflare's SSL, CDN, and security benefits
4. Not testing both URLs = broken redirects for users

Backlink bonus: Notice how this entire post links to foodtruckgamers.com multiple times? That's a backlink in action - another site (this blog) linking to your domain. Google sees these as "votes" for your site's credibility.

Back to Blog